Massachusetts House passes $49.7B FY23 budget

Includes $250K dedicated to expanding language access, housing assistance and public safety in Malden

  On April 27, Representatives Steven Ultrino, Paul Donato and Kate Lipper-Garabedian voted to pass the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) House Budget (H.4700), An Act making appropriations for the fiscal year 2023 for the maintenance of the departments, boards, commissions, institutions, and certain activities of the Commonwealth, for interest, sinking fund, and serial bond requirements, and for certain permanent improvements. The House passed its FY23 budget unanimously (155-0). Now the Senate will begin the FY23 budget process.

  The $49.7 billion spending bill that was approved by the House will balance addressing immediate needs in a post-pandemic world and a focus on sustainable long-term investments to help our economy recover. This year the House debated on 1,522 amendments across several spending categories. The final bill included earmarks, funding increases and mandates, such as:

• $500,000 for the creation and development of the Genocide Education Trust Fund
• Outlawing the practice of Child Marriage in Massachusetts
• Establishing a common application portal for all state, need-based benefits programs
• Expanding the Medicare Savings Program to 250 percent of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL)
• A $60 million increase for the Residential Assistance to Families in Transition program (RAFT)
• A $110 million investment to extend universal school meals through the 2022-2023 school year
• No-cost calls – allowing incarcerated individuals in Massachusetts to make free domestic phone calls to their loved ones
• Allow for Chapter 70 flexibility where public school districts can carry over unused funds until June 30, 2024

  The Malden delegation filed several amendments requesting state funding for programs and services in Malden. As a result of the hard work and efforts of advocates, community organizations and Malden legislators, the FY23 House budget includes several key investments for Malden:

• $75,000 for Malden’s Language Access Services, including translation of city websites, documents and reports, and developing language style guides for non-Romance languages
• $100,000 for the programs and operations of Housing Families Inc. in Malden
• $25,000 for new rescue equipment for the Malden Fire Department

  “The FY’23 budget will invest billions in local, regional, and statewide programs, services, and resources while addressing rising challenges in a post-pandemic world,” said Ultrino. “Significant steps have been taken to prioritize funding for communities in need across the Commonwealth and I am excited to see the City of Malden’s language access services funded by the budget. Thank you again to all my colleagues, Speaker Ron Mariano, and Chair Michlewitz for the tireless work on this spending bill.”

  “Malden has secured funding for an array of important services in the 2023 budget. This important funding will help to improve housing, language access, and public safety services,” said Donato. “As always, it was great to work with Representative Lipper-Garabedian and Representative Ultrino, focusing on the most critical needs of the community to build an ever-improved Malden.”

  “I’m glad to see a host of critical investments for Malden included in the House Budget,” said Lipper-Garabedian. “Such investments – which support a wide variety of populations including law enforcement, the housing insecure, and survivors of domestic violence – reflect the resilient and diverse spirit of our City.”